Marking 150 years of India's national song, Vande Mataram, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a year-long commemoration on Friday at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi, accompanied by the release of a commemorative stamp and coin.
The nationwide celebration officially begins with the event, starting from November 7, 2025, to November 7, 2026, in honour of the historic musical composition which inspired the freedom struggle of India, continuing to foster national pride and unity of the nation.
Speaking at the event, PM Modi echoed the same, saying, "Vande Mataram is a true symbol of India's unity as it has inspired generations. I congratulate my Indian brothers and sisters on this occasion. As we mark 150 years of Vande Mataram today, this will give us new inspiration and fill the people of the country with new energy."
Adding, "The main emotion of Vande Mataram is Bharat...a dream, a resolution, and energy...it's a prayer to Maa Bharti. Bharat ek rashtra ke roop mein wo kundan bankar ubhra jo ateet ki har chot sehta raha aur sehkar bhi amratva ko prapt kar gaya (India as a nation emerged as a gem that endured every blow of the past and through cooperation also achieved immortality)."
#WATCH | Delhi | At the event commemoration 150 years of National Song 'Vande Mataram' PM Modi says, "...The main emotion of 'Vande Mataram' is Bharat, Maa Bharati... Bharat ek rashtra ke roop mein wo kundan ban kar ubhra jo ateet ki har chot sehta raha aur sehkar bhi amaratva ko… pic.twitter.com/ldIIVNbspC
— ANI (@ANI) November 7, 2025
He stated that the iconic composition embodies the very "ideological force" behind the concept of India and its yearning for freedom.
PM Modi said, "The concept of India is the ideological force behind it...The sense of one's independent existence...Only from the depths of the heart and the infinity of emotions does a composition like Vande Mataram emerge. In that period of slavery, Vande Mataram became the proclamation of this resolve. And that proclamation was of India's independence."
The song Vande Mataram was composed by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee on November 7, 1875, on the occasion of Akshaya Navami. It was first published in Bangdarshan, a literary journal.
Vande Mataram literally translates to "Mother, I bow to thee", and was also included in Chatterjee's classic novel "Anandmath", released in 1882. Its music was composed by Rabindranath Tagore, and was then performed at INC's Calcutta session in 1896.
Vande Mataram became the national song of India in 1950, sung with the same reverence and admiration as Jana Gana Mana as a tribute to India's glory.
Celebrating 150 Years of #VandeMataram ????????
Composed by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee and immortalised in his novel Anandamath, Vande Mataram awakened the spirit of India’s freedom struggle
????️ #Watch this video to know more about the journey of India’s National Song and its enduring… pic.twitter.com/EEdGfDW4Ac
— PIB India (@PIB_India) November 6, 2025
